Entries by Neal Barkus

Land Ownership Rights Threatened by the Legislature

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Traditional land ownership rights permit landowners to preserve land they own from any future development. You’ve likely seen signs around the county to that effect. But a 2024 Senate proposal would have weakened the ability of landowners to decide what not to do with their land and how long they could protect it from development. The proposed bill didn’t make it into law, but the attempt to free up protected land for timbering and other industrial exploitation may be resurrected in 2026.

Making Sense of the Religious Exemption Dispute in West Virginia

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West Virginia has traditionally been careful to protect school age children from transmissible childhood illnesses. It was one of only a handful of states that required childhood vaccinations as a requirement for attending public schools. Now some anti-vaccination people are arguing that this policy is in conflict with the Equal Protection for Religion act and are suing to allow for exemptions. Neal Barkus lays out the arguments and anticipates the harm that these exemptions will cause community health.

Let’s Revive West Virginia’s Future Fund

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Companies that take our coal and natural gas pay a royalty, called a severance tax, to the state. Other states with exportable natural resources have saved a part of those taxes into what’s called a sovereign wealth fund. It’s kind of an insurance policy to provide some financial security when the resources run out. West Virginia had one, called the Future Fund, for almost a decade, but the legislature cancelled it in 2023. That was a mistake.